Josh Green

Josh Green
Born	Joshua Booth Green
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, physician
Title	Governor of Hawaiʻi
Known for	Serving as Governor of Hawaiʻi; emergency medicine physician
Education	M.D.
Website	[[governor.hawaii.gov governor.hawaii.gov] Official site]

Joshua Booth Green, M.D., is an American physician and politician serving as the Governor of Hawaiʻi. A licensed emergency medicine doctor who practiced in rural and underserved communities across the Hawaiian Islands before entering politics, Green has built a career that bridges public health and public service. He previously served in the Hawaiʻi State Senate and as Lieutenant Governor of Hawaiʻi before winning the gubernatorial election and assuming the state's highest office. As governor, Green has focused on issues including the state's economy, healthcare access, housing, and environmental protection. His administration has also been notable for its outspoken opposition to certain federal health policies, including the launch of a political action committee aimed at countering the agenda of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Green holds a Doctor of Medicine degree and is one of the few physicians to serve as a U.S. state governor, a background that has informed his approach to governance, particularly during public health crises. His tenure has also encompassed significant judicial appointments and natural resource management decisions affecting the state.

Early Life

Josh Green was born and raised on the U.S. mainland before relocating to Hawaiʻi, where he established his medical career and eventually entered politics. Details regarding his exact birth date, birthplace, and family background during his formative years are not extensively documented in available sources. What is well established is that Green pursued a career in medicine, earning his Doctor of Medicine degree, and chose to practice in Hawaiʻi, where he served communities on multiple islands, including rural and underserved areas that historically faced physician shortages.

Green's decision to move to Hawaiʻi and practice medicine in some of the state's most remote communities shaped his understanding of the challenges facing the islands' residents, from healthcare access to economic opportunity. His experiences as a frontline physician in emergency rooms exposed him to the intersection of public health, poverty, and policy — experiences he would later cite as formative influences in his transition from medicine to politics.

Career

Medical Career

Before entering politics, Josh Green worked as an emergency medicine physician in Hawaiʻi. He practiced on the Big Island and in other parts of the state, often serving in rural emergency rooms where he was sometimes the only physician available. His medical background became a defining element of his political identity and is reflected in his official title as governor, where he is consistently identified as "Josh Green, M.D."

His experience in emergency medicine provided him with direct knowledge of the healthcare system's strengths and weaknesses in Hawaiʻi, including issues related to insurance coverage, mental health services, and the unique logistical challenges of delivering healthcare across a geographically dispersed island state.

Political Career

Josh Green transitioned from medicine to politics, serving in the Hawaiʻi State Legislature before ascending to statewide office. He served in the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives and subsequently in the Hawaiʻi State Senate, where he focused on healthcare policy, housing, and economic issues. His legislative career established his reputation as a policy-oriented lawmaker with particular expertise in public health matters.

Green later served as Lieutenant Governor of Hawaiʻi, a role that further raised his statewide profile and positioned him for a gubernatorial campaign. He won the race for governor and assumed office, becoming one of a small number of physicians to serve as governor of a U.S. state.

Governorship

As Governor of Hawaiʻi, Josh Green has overseen a wide-ranging agenda that reflects both his medical background and the particular challenges facing the state. His administration has addressed economic recovery, housing affordability, healthcare access, environmental conservation, and the state's relationship with the federal government.

Economic and Fiscal Policy

Governor Green has been actively engaged in discussions surrounding Hawaiʻi's economy and state finances. In a February 2026 interview with Hawaii Public Radio, Green discussed the state's economic outlook and fiscal challenges, including the impact of federal trade policy. The interview took place shortly after a U.S. Supreme Court decision on tariffs, and Green shared his assessment of how such federal actions could affect Hawaiʻi's economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism, military spending, and imports.

In the same interview, Green also addressed recent headlines involving allegations of improper payments to a state lawmaker, underscoring the governance challenges that have accompanied his tenure. A separate Hawaii Public Radio broadcast featured Green discussing Hawaiʻi's economy alongside reports about campaign contributions involving Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke, with state lawmakers calling for a special prosecutor to investigate the matter.

Judicial Appointments

Governor Green has exercised his appointment authority to fill vacancies on Hawaiʻi's courts. In February 2026, he announced the appointment of Daniel Gluck as an Associate Judge for the Intermediate Court of Appeals of Hawaiʻi. Judicial appointments represent one of a governor's most lasting exercises of power, as judges typically serve well beyond a governor's term in office. Green's selections for the judiciary have been part of his broader governance portfolio.

Public Health Advocacy and Federal Opposition

One of the more prominent aspects of Green's governorship has been his opposition to certain federal health policies, particularly those associated with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. In 2025, Green launched a political action committee (PAC) specifically designed to push back against Kennedy's health agenda. By February 2026, reporting by Honolulu Civil Beat revealed that the PAC, which functions as a super PAC, was being funded by special interests.

The creation of a gubernatorial super PAC aimed at opposing a federal cabinet official was an unusual move in American politics and drew significant attention both within Hawaiʻi and nationally. Green's medical credentials lent particular weight to his criticisms of Kennedy, who has been a prominent figure in the anti-vaccination movement. The Civil Beat investigation examined the funding sources behind the PAC, raising questions about the role of special interest money in what Green framed as a public health advocacy effort.

This initiative illustrated Green's willingness to engage in national political debates beyond the traditional scope of a state governor's role, leveraging his background as a physician to challenge federal health policy decisions he viewed as potentially harmful to public health.

Environmental and Natural Resource Management

The Green administration has also been involved in environmental conservation efforts across the Hawaiian Islands. In February 2026, the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), operating under Green's administration, sought public input on the protection of the Alakaʻi Wilderness on the island of Kauaʻi. The Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve is one of the most ecologically significant areas in Hawaiʻi, home to numerous endemic species of plants and birds found nowhere else on Earth.

The solicitation of public input on wilderness protection reflects the Green administration's engagement with conservation issues in a state where natural resources are both a critical part of cultural identity and an economic asset through tourism. Environmental management in Hawaiʻi involves balancing conservation with the needs of residents, the tourism industry, and Native Hawaiian cultural practices.

Regulatory Oversight

Under Green's governorship, the Hawaiʻi Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) has continued its regulatory functions, including disciplinary actions against licensed professionals. In early 2026, the governor's office released information on DCCA disciplinary actions through January 2026, reflecting the ongoing administrative operations of the state government. Such actions are part of the routine regulatory work of state government but fall under the executive branch that Green oversees.

Personal Life

Josh Green holds a Doctor of Medicine degree and has maintained his identity as a physician throughout his political career, as reflected in his consistent use of the "M.D." designation in his official title as governor. He resides in Hawaiʻi, where he has lived since relocating to the islands to practice medicine.

Green's dual identity as both a physician and politician has been a central feature of his public persona. His medical background has informed his approach to policy, particularly on issues related to public health, healthcare access, and his opposition to federal health policies he considers scientifically unsound.

Recognition

Josh Green's position as Governor of Hawaiʻi represents the highest elected office in the state and places him among the small cohort of physicians who have served as governors of U.S. states. His administration has attracted national attention for several initiatives, most notably his creation of a super PAC to oppose the health policies of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which was covered by outlets including Honolulu Civil Beat.

Green's public commentary on state finances, federal trade policy, and governance issues has been regularly featured on Hawaii Public Radio and other state media outlets, reflecting his active engagement with the Hawaiʻi public and press.

His judicial appointments, including the February 2026 appointment of Daniel Gluck to the Intermediate Court of Appeals, represent another dimension of his impact on Hawaiʻi's institutional landscape.

Disambiguation

Josh Green is also the name of an Australian-American professional basketball player who, as of early 2026, plays for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The basketball player Josh Green was active during the 2025–2026 NBA season, contributing as a bench player for the Hornets. In a February 2026 game, he scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, along with four rebounds, one assist, and two steals over 23 minutes during a 129–112 victory. This article primarily concerns Josh Green, the Governor of Hawaiʻi.